A violent confrontation erupted in Guatemala City when, according to local enforcement authorities, members of the Lev Tahor cult attacked police officers with pepper spray during an attempt to evict them from welfare facilities.
At least four officers were injured and taken to Roosevelt Hospital and a police medical center.
The incident occurred when large police forces arrived to enforce a court order to evict cult members who barricaded themselves outside welfare facilities.
The riots occur in the midst of the unfolding scandal in which Guatemalan security authorities rescued more than 200 women and children from the cult's compound, most of them minors aged 5-13. Cult members are suspected of human trafficking, forced marriages, and child abuse. Authorities have set up a special medical center for them operating 24 hours a day.
A significant development took place over the weekend when a senior member of the cult, Jonathan Emmanuel Cardona Castillo, was arrested in El Salvador. Interpol had issued a 'red notice' and an international arrest warrant for him.
Meanwhile, Guatemala's Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, met this week with Israeli Ambassador Alon Lavi and an Israeli delegation.
During the meeting, it was agreed to conduct DNA tests to identify the children and their biological parents, as most of them do not have identification documents. The Israeli Welfare Ministry dispatched a special delegation to assist in treating the cult's victims and their families.